Listening To People - Llais Complaints Advocacy Service
If you have concerns about your health services, Llais is here to help.
"Listening to People" is the new NHS Wales complaints system designed to ensure patients’ concerns are heard, addressed compassionately and used to improve services.
Whether you’re raising a concern about NHS care, or speaking on behalf of someone else, our advocates can guide you through the process, help you prepare for key steps and ensure your needs are understood.
Our free and independent complaints advocacy service supports people across Wales to raise issues under the Listening to People process.
Read our information leaflet here
These new changes mean:
- Everyone submitting a complaint will be offered the opportunity to talk to someone within the NHS service team about it at the start in a Listening Discussion. This discussion can take place over the phone, Teams or in person.
- If the NHS organisation can and it’s part of the outcome you’re seeking, they will try and resolve your complaint early by agreed Early Resolution actions. This should be done within 10 days of your complaint acknowledgement.
- If the complaint isn’t one which can be resolved early, it will be formally investigated by the NHS organisation within a pre-agreed timeframe of 30, 60, 90 or a maximum of 120 days.
How Llais can assist
Llais has a team of Complaints Advocates who can offer:
- Information and guidance about the NHS Complaints process. Support in submitting your complaint to the NHS organisation.
- Guidance and support in how to self-advocate for yourself throughout the process. Support or presence at the Listening Discussions and other complaint related meetings with the NHS organisation.
- Support to help you understand your complaint response and to reflect and decide on your next steps.
- Assistance in submitting any possible outstanding concerns to the Public Service Ombudsman Wales.
What you need to know
- You need to make the complaint to the NHS service within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue or 12 months from when the issue happened.
- You cannot complain about something you have already complained formally about with the NHS Service.
- Llais’ role isn’t to investigate the complaint, nor can we guarantee you get the outcome you want. We will help you navigate through the complaints process by providing you with the right information so that you can make your own decisions what to do next. We are here to help put your views and voice across with the NHS organisation.
Get in touch
If you or someone you support has a complaint they would like support with, or you want more information about the Listening to People complaints process, we have 7 local offices that can talk through your concern and the type of support you need.
You can get in touch by finding your local office here
Professional referral form
If you have a client you would like to refer, please fill our professional referral form and email it to your regional team.